Caris LeVert & Myles Turner – Indiana Pacers
As mentioned before, many teams in the NBA are waiting to see what happens with the Indiana Pacers. After missing the playoffs last season, the Pacers hired long-time coach and NBA champion Rick Carlisle to be their head coach.
This really has not helped the team improve record-wise, as Indiana just cannot seem to exterminate the injury bug in their locker room!
T.J. Warren has yet to make his season debut after suffering a foot injury just four games into last season, T.J. McConnell is out indefinitely after having wrist surgery, Malcolm Brogdon has been dealing with Achilles soreness that has forced him to miss games, Domantas Sabonis is now out with an ankle sprain and Myles Turner is out as well with a “stress reaction” in his left foot. On top of everything else, Caris LeVert is also dealing with hamstring tightness.
Being 17-29 on the season and now six full games behind the 10-seeded Toronto Raptors, the Pacers’ playoff hopes are quickly fading away, even though they just picked up two big road wins over the Lakers and the Warriors.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Five Key Predictions Ahead Of The NBA Trade Deadline
In December, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that the Pacers were heading towards a rebuild and would not only be receptive to trade calls for All-Star Domantas Sabonis but key talents in Myles Turner and Caris LeVert.
Over the last month, the team has fielded multiple calls from various playoff-contending teams regarding possible trades for Myles Turner and Caris LeVert, but these trade talks have not progressed past initial offers.
Myles Turner has turned himself into one of the best shot-blockers in the league by leading the NBA in blocked shots two of the last three seasons, and he is once again leading the league in blocks this season.
His foot injury is definitely going to change the way teams evaluate him heading into the trade deadline and some teams have already backed off of pursuing Myles Turner at the deadline.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Five Key Predictions Ahead Of The NBA Trade Deadline
Now expected to be out past the trade deadline, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, teams could very well turn more attention to Caris LeVert, who has been a consistent scoring weapon in Indiana since being traded there last season.
LeVert has one more year left on his contract after this season and sources have told NBA Analysis Network that the Cavaliers, Knicks, and Hawks have all shown a level of interest in the 27-year-old wing.
The Indiana Pacers have a lot to sort out over the course of the next few weeks, but one thing that is certain is that change is right on the horizon for this franchise, starting with the futures of both Myles Turner and Caris LeVert.
